Former prep pupil alleges abuse: [1 First With The News Edition]

Former prep pupil alleges abuse: [1 First With The News Edition]

A FORMER Toowoomba Preparatory School boarding student has alleged a teacher, who was also a housemaster, raped him in the boarding school in 1982 and threatened to rape his mother and sister if he told anyone.

Toowoomba solicitors Shine Roche McGowan said the man reported the alleged abuse following the case in late 2001 of a female boarder who was sexually abused in 1990 by another boarding master at the same school who subsequently committed suicide.

A FORMER Toowoomba Preparatory School boarding student has alleged a teacher, who was also a housemaster, raped him in the boarding school in 1982 and threatened to rape his mother and sister if he told anyone.

The man, now aged 30, alleges the sex attack occurred after he left a group of students playing in a nearby park and returned to the boarding house where the housemaster took him to his room, undressed him and raped him.

Toowoomba solicitors Shine Roche McGowan said the man reported the alleged abuse following the case in late 2001 of a female boarder who was sexually abused in 1990 by another boarding master at the same school who subsequently committed suicide.

A second female student also abused by the same boarding master mentioned in the 1990 case settled a personal injury claim against the Diocese of Brisbane in an out-of-court settlement last year.

Shine Roche McGowan associate Jodie Collins said the latest allegations related to a client who claimed he was entering the boarding school one weekend when the alleged perpetrator asked him to go into his room where the teacher undressed the boy and assaulted him.

“The allegation then is that the perpetrator told our client not to tell anyone what had happened, that it was their secret, and if he did tell anyone what had happened he would do the same to his mother and to his sister,” Miss Collins said.

A police spokesman said police could not investigate until a formal complaint was received from the alleged victim but police were monitoring the situation.

Anglican Archbishop Phillip Aspinall said through a statement the allegation had been reported to police.

Dr Aspinall said the school community had been notified, in line with the church’s policy for dealing with complaints of sexual abuse.